A Stranger Digiworld
Epilogue: When All Is Said And Done…
Wizarmon stood near the location of the newest gate back to the real world. It was decided that this world's Ken would be sent back to his real world first, and then they would all return to their reality.
Tailmon hugged her friend with sadness in her eyes. "It was good to see you again, Wizarmon," she told him. "Even if you're not the same Wizarmon."
The wizard nodded tearfully as well. "It was good to see you as well," he told his friend. "I hope that one day we will meet again."
Ken had a similarly tearful good-bye with himself. Neither spoke, they both knew what the other was thinking, and so they just hugged, grateful that they had been able to help each other with their own problems. After all, no one really understands you the way that you yourself does, so who better to help?
The blue-haired boy held Wormmon in his arms and waved to himself as he disappeared through the digital gate. When he had dissolved into digital data, he sighed and sat down on the ground.
"I guess we should be getting home now, huh?" Daisuke questioned.
The somber boy nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "I'll just need to reconfigure the gate. It'll only take a minute."
"How do you do that?" Iori wondered.
"I'll have to use the computer in the base," he explained. He stood up and began to walk back towards the now-empty base.
***
Meanwhile, Yagami Taichi was still pacing nervously about his bedroom. Koushiro glanced at the digital clock on the computer. Daisuke, Iori, and Ken had been gone for nearly two hours. If they didn't return home soon, Hikari's mother would notice that she had disappeared.
"Mom will be home any minute now," Taichi grumbled as he paced. Takeru and Miyako had long ago given up trying to calm him down. Koushiro recalled the times that Hikari had been sick while they were in the digital world. Taichi had been so worried he had swung a few punches at Koushiro. He certainly hoped that it didn't come to swinging fists this time around.
"Taichi! Hikari!" a female voice called from the hall. "I'm home, kids!"
Taichi turned pale. Takeru placed an arm on his friend's shoulder. "It's okay. Go stall her as long as you can. We'll see what we can do."
With a nod and a deep breath, the wild-haired boy left the room. No sooner had he shut the door when there was a flash of light behind him.
Koushiro backed out of the way, seeing what was about to occur. A few moments later, Hikari, Daisuke, Ken, Iori, and their respective digimon tumbled out of the computer and landed where the young computer whiz had been sitting only just before.
"Hikari!-chan!" Miyako, Takeru, and Koushiro cheered in unison.
"Oh, sure, nobody welcome us back," Daisuke muttered under his breath. "Never mind that it was me who came up with the great plan."
"Daisuke, we were only gone for a few hours," Iori reminded him. "Hikari-chan was missing for a whole day."
Daisuke didn't respond.
"Hikari-chan, you'd better go save your brother. He's been trying to stall your mother for a few minutes. You'd better go out there," Koushiro told her.
"Oh dear," Hikari realized. Quickly, she dashed out of the room.
"So tell us, what happened?" Miyako demanded.
"Well, the day was all saved, thanks to my plan," Daisuke
replied with a grin.
Koushiro and Miyako both raised skeptical eyebrows.
"It's true," Iori reluctantly admitted. "Instead of launching a fight we would loose, Daisuke had Ken confront his double, and the result caused the Kaiser to reform."
The other three stared in surprise.
"That was a pretty good idea," Takeru admitted. Patamon, still sitting on his head, nodded.
"Of course it was a good idea," Chibimon boasted on behalf of his partner. "Daisuke always thinks of great plans."
"Well, I don't know about always," Miyako grumbled under her breath.
***
"Thanks for dinner, Mrs. Yagami, but I really need to be getting home now," Koushiro apologized with a polite smile and bow.
"My mother would be disappointed if I missed her cooking. I'm late already," Iori agreed, bowing as well before departing after Koushiro.
"I need to be home, too," Ken stated. His eyes had a far-off look in them. He planned to spend the night alone with only Wormmon, doing some deep thinking.
"I promised to help my parents in the store tonight," Miyako apologized. "Thanks for the offer, though."
"Mom will be really mad if I don't get home really soon," Takeru agreed. "Maybe another time."
Daisuke was last. He didn't really have to be home, but he had a feeling he would be grounded if he wasn't on time. "I've got to be home soon," he said with great reluctance. He wouldn't have minded eating dinner with the Yagami family, even if he had heard that Mrs. Yagami cooked some strange health foods.
"Daisuke, do you mind if I walk you downstairs?" Hikari spoke up just as he was about to exit.
"Uh, sure Hikari," Daisuke replied. Hikari stepped out of the door behind him and followed him to the elevator. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," she replied with a shrug.
"I can find my way downstairs on my own, you know," he reminded her.
"I know," she answered. The elevator arrived, and they entered. "I just wanted to talk to you."
"What about?"
They arrived on the bottom floor and the door opened. Both exited. "I guess I just wanted to say thank you," she replied.
He blinked. "For?"
"Saving me. I mean, it was your great idea that helped save that digital world. I wouldn't have been able to defeat the Kaiser on my own, even with reinforcements."
Daisuke shrugged nonchalantly, though secretly pleased his talent was being recognized. "It was Ken that did all the work," he admitted.
"I know," she replied. They had arrived at the exit of the building. "I guess I'd better get back upstairs."
"Probably. I'll see you tomorrow in school, right?"
"Definitely." Hikari grinned. He turned to leave. "Daisuke?"
He turned around. "Yeah?"
"Thanks again." Hikari kissed him on the cheek and watched with some amusement as he turned bright red.
"No – problem," he replied. Before he could move another inch, she had disappeared back into the elevator, the sound of her giggles still echoing in his head.
***
Just In Case anyone was wondering, I don't own Digimon. Any of them. Except for a few lame drawings. ^_^